The Boston Bruins are now in first place in the division and the conference after eeking out a 2-1 win over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.

The Game

The Bruins came into New York on the back end of a three game road trip that saw them go from Ottawa to Carolina and finally to New York. They had split the previous two games by losing to Ottawa and beating Carolina. The Rangers were coming off a tough 1-0 home loss to the Los Angeles Kings but were anxiously awaiting the return of star forward Rick Nash. The Rangers who have been hovering around .500 all season were looking to right the ship against the Bruins.

The Bruins got into a hole early as defenseman Dennis Seidenberg suffered a lower body injury early in the first period and would not be able to return. The Bruins would have to finish the game with only five defensemen.

The rest of the first period saw the ice tilted in the Rangers favor but they were unable to produce a goal as Tuuka Rask was brilliant as usual. Rask even stopped a penalty shot by Chris Kreider after Johnny Boychuk got called for hooking.

The second period saw the Bruins get on the board as Shawn Thornton was able to beat Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers had a chance to tie it a few minutes later when they went on the power play but Daniel Paille was able to find the back of the net on a shorthanded goal. About a minute after Paille’s goal, the Rangers cut the lead in half when the Bruins allowed a rare power play goal by Derick Brassard. Brassard’s goal snapped the Bruins streak of 33 consecutive penalties killed.

Rask would make the lead hold as Brassard’s goal was the only one that he let slip by on the 44 shots, a season high, he faced all night.

Upcoming

The talented St. Louis Blues come to Boston on Thursday night for a matchup of two of the top teams in the league. The teams are very evenly matched as the Bruins are first in goals against and twelfth in goals per game to the Blues tenth in goals against and second in goals per game. The two are also very close in special teams with the Blues having the number one power play percentage and the Bruins with the leading penalty killing percentage.

The Bruins will have to work hard to get a win and maintain their slim lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs who are both in action on Thursday.